Residents deal with snow, cold in the western suburbs

Some village halls become warming centers

January 07, 2014|By Wes Venteicher, Tribune reporter

Despite temperatures more than 10 degrees below zero, James Bell, an Oak Park and River Forest High School English teacher, said he ventured to a Forest Park diner Monday, "just to get out," before returning home after a couple of hours.

"It was enough to make me park the car with no intention to leave the rest of the day," Bell said.

Temperatures dipped Monday and remained below zero until midday Tuesday, prompting schools in the Oak Park and La Grange areas to cancel classes, village governments to cancel meetings and some businesses to close while everyone waited for a little more warmth.

John D'Alexander, a mail carrier based in Oak Park, said the cold was a familiar hazard of a job he's had for 40 years.

"When you get to extremes like this, it's not just another day," D'Alexander said. "But it's a day I've been through before, and I try to adapt."

Two pairs of socks, two pairs of long underwear, a few shirts and sweaters and a heavy jacket were the keys to completing his north Forest Park route, he said.

Oak Park and La Grange Park's village halls were opened as warming centers, along with Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital and other locations. In La Grange Park, police helped residents jump-start cars and the village bought food from McDonald's for warming center occupants.

Road crews worked long hours clearing streets of snow that fell last week and over the weekend and then blew back onto many streets Monday and Tuesday.

Oak Park crews worked 12- and 16-hour shifts through the storms, Oak Park Public Works Director John Wielebnicki said. He estimated they've spread about 500 tons of salt on the road and logged well over 750 hours of overtime.

Crews have responded to 14 storms so far this year, he added. By this time last year, they had responded to three, he said.

"This has been a busy, busy start to the winter, no doubt," he said.

La Grange crews have also been working round-the-clock to clear the streets, La Grange Public Works Director Ryan Gillingham said.

"We've pretty much been working continuously since New Year's Eve," Gillingham said.

Road-clearing crews, with the help of private contractors, have been hauling snow to a growing pile at the corner of La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue, Gillingham said. Teams of 10 drivers have been alternating since the start of the year, he said.

"The guys have done a great job, and we're looking forward to a warmup later in the week," he said.

The La Grange Fire Department responded to about a dozen calls from residents whose furnaces set off carbon monoxide detectors on Monday, but hadn't yet seen any other issues from the cold, Chief Bill Bryzgalski said.

The cold delayed Metra trains for commuters and kept lots of cars parked at home.